Kentucky was able to get back to winning last night after a 75-63 win over Ole Miss in Rupp Arena last night. There were a lot of positives to take from the game last night so lets dive in.
Defensive Intensity Takes A Step Forward
It was a small step but a step, nonetheless. Kentucky seemed locked in on that end for most of the game and forced Ole Miss out of their comfort zone. Kentucky held a solid offensive team (Ole Miss came into the game ranked 31st in Kenpom for AdjO) to just 63 points on 37% shooting. Yes, Ole Miss missed a couple of wide-open shots and they missed 8 FTs. That might just be good luck (which this team has been in short supply of) but it also tends to happen when you don’t allow teams to just walk into easy shots. When you make teams at least work for their shots they are prone to missing some.
We also have to talk about Ugonna Onyenso making history by breaking the Rupp Arena blocks record. I said it above but it bears reminding that Ole Miss is not some non-conference cupcake. They are a top 40 offense on Kenpom and have several experienced guards/wings who know how to score. Ugo basically turned them into a jump-shooting team by himself. Couldn’t be happier for that kid as he’s fought through a tough injury to make himself valuable.
Justin Edwards’ Resurgence Continues
It’s now been several games and I’m starting to believe. Edwards scored the Cats’ first 7 points, which was important because Kentucky was in danger of going down double digits to start the game again. He ended with 12 points but he looks confident and he’s also playing winning basketball. He was physical and active on the defensive end, and he picked up a couple of 50/50 balls.
The punch he and Adou can provide at that wing spot is vital if Cal can find the right balance.
Cal Is Shortening His Rotation
We still played 9 guys last night, but the rotations seemed more stable rather than desperately trying to give everyone an opportunity. Big Z and Burks didn’t see the floor and Bradshaw only got 13 minutes (which was inflated due to Tre’s shoulder injury). It’s unfortunate but it was necessary. The injuries and NCAA robbed a couple of these guys the chance to really prove what they can do but Kentucky could not keep running guys in and out of the game.
In my opinion, part of the defensive issues has been that none of these guys have played with each other enough. Trying to integrate multiple players midseason was always going to be bumpy and things just weren’t gelling. Getting that rotation down to 7/8 guys who can build chemistry together is an important step for this team.
What Does It Mean
Kentucky could not afford to lose that basketball game. Not only did they win the game, but it was also kind of not close. The Cats were uncharacteristically sloppy and handed the Rebels about 10 free points, that kept this score respectable.
It was also important to see that this team is still together. It’s been a rough 10 days for BBN and plenty of fans have made declarations that the team is cooked, the coach needs to be fired, and the program is in disarray. We’ve had fans lash out in anger and accuse the kids and coaches of only caring about the NBA. Last night proved that isn’t the case. This team wants to win and are still working to find solutions and that is enough for me to back them until the end.
Winning should never be taken for granted so we’ll celebrate this one before moving on to Auburn. We’ll have a preview up in the coming days.
Go Cats.
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